This weekend, I’m planning on catching up with a several friends to talk about our holidays, and we’re going to do it over brunch, which means many, many dollars (or $50). I also need to get a haircut (new year, new hair, $45), and do some grocery shopping ($30). My goal this weekend is to keep it within $125.

This weekend I don’t really have plans, but I’ll probably go to the movies with some friends and then get some dinner ($40), and then on Sunday I’ll go to yoga ($17) and then do the weekly shopping for me and my boyfriend ($75 total, but only $37.50 is mine) so…. $94.50!

I just got back from a long vacation, which drained my account somewhat. I hope to just spend money on groceries ($60) and laundry ($4.50). I’m also working at my part-time job this weekend, which is sadly the last weekend I’ll be working there because they’re going out of business! So now I need to find a new weekend gig. I might consider applying to Kaplan as an SAT or GRE tutor/teacher. Anyone ever work for them? Does anyone know of anybody hiring in DC?

Hopefully a quiet and cheap weekend. Wine ($20) to bring to a party and laundry ($3.50) are the only for-sure expenditures. I also want to make a trip to Whole Foods to get some tasty meats and cheeses to see us through the rest of winter, but I have a gift certificate for that. I will tack on another $30 though, just in case we end up going out to dinner and/or catching a movie.

I was supposed to go out to dinner and then to see Louis CK with some friends and my boyfriend. But *naturally* I am miserably, miserably sick. I am hoping to perk up enough to see the actual show because I got the tickets in AUGUST, so I have been excited about this for LITERAL MONTHS, but thinking dinner and drinks beforehand has no chance of happening. I am so incredibly bummed out there are no words.

I plan to spend no monies the rest of the weekend – except to maybe buy more orange juice and soup – because it will be spent on my couch recouperating. Although if the fever spikes back up, I’ll be bundling myself off to the doctor tomorrow, which is a $35 copay. We shall see.

@ATF@twitter I saw him on NYE and he was so great!! Bought the tickets some ridiculously long time ago as well. I really really hope you manage to get yourself out long enough to at least see the show.

Tonight: laundry ($2.50) and toilet paper buying (depends on how much I decide to buy). Tomorrow some friends from home are in town, so I’m getting coffee with them but will probably use the gift card one of my coworkers gave me. I’ve been reading about a bakery on the other side of town at which I’d like to get some sourdough, so I would say $12 at most. Sunday I’ve got yoga but that’s already been paid for so I don’t really count that. Basically what I’m trying to say is that I’m broke as a joke and would like to keep it under $40 if I can.

I was hoping to make this a no-spend weekend, but then BF reminded me that we need to replant our Christmas tree. So
$50 at home depot/target for soil and a new pot
$70 groceries

We’re taking a short trip for a friend’s birthday at the end of the month and then have friends visiting us early next month, so we’re really trying to limit our spending the next few weeks so we can have guiltless fun with them.

Tonight: Dinner with a friend; we both requested cheap so I’m hoping to keep it to $10. Drinks with another friend, but she’s buying. Tomorrow I’m traveling to a work event so will be expensing stuff; probably $10-$15 for drinks with a friend who’s in town afterward. Sunday: $15 for breakfast/lunch while traveling, and $40 for groceries for the weeek.

I’m seeing Les Mis tonight with my roommate, so that will probably be about $12. Those are my only concrete plans, so I hope I don’t have to spend anything else. My bank account is still reeling from the after Christmas sales I hit up last week.

I’m also hoping to draw up a weekly budget for myself, I just need to sit down and do the math. That’s the other plan for the weekend!

No money tonight. Dinner is waiting in the fridge, and a gift bottle of wine is waiting on the counter. Tomorrow I’m catching up with some friends who are still in town after the holidays at brunch, so I’m hoping it’ll be $30 or less. That should be it for the weekend, but next week is when the money starts fleeing from my bank account. I have to give our wedding photographer a $500 deposit on Wednesday (we got a good deal, but still- ack!).

Ahhhhhhhhhh this weekend = I’m stressed about it already. I’ve got a friend coming in to town, which is the equivalent of flushing my budget down the toilet. Add to that the need to reserve money for the NYC Pin-up/book club and Les Mis next week and ahhhhhhhhh.

So: Today: $7 lunch (I haven’t gone grocery shopping since I got back from my parents!), $60…? for cheap dinner and drinks? Oh lord please not more than that. Tomorrow: Another $60 for drinks, $30 for a super-low-budget grocery week. Sunday: Maybe a $25 brunch.

I really want to have a low cost weekend but I have some outings to attend with friends, so it might be a challenge to make that happen… and I need to restock on things from Target & Trader Joe’s so my proposed weekend budget is about $200 (activities with friends – $100, Trader Joes – $25, Target – $60). We’ll see how this goes!

I have no set plans — I just signed up for Weight Watchers because I’m in a wedding in May, so I will do the bulk of my shopping at the farmer’s market instead of the grocery store ($40). I also need to pick up a new pair of tennis shoes and some athletic pants, because I will never go to the gym with what I have ($70).

Other than that, though, I plan to clean house and watch movies — Netflix sent me a bonus disc for some reason, so I have options! And I have been wanting to see Les Mis, so I will probably go to a matinee. And maybe I’ll go to the botanical garden, since I have a membership and the visit will be free.

Going out for drinks tonight with a friend (trying to find a new bar in my neighborhood, say 3 new places, 1 drink each = $30 w/ tips).

May go see Les Mis again with some friends that are back in town. Will only go if they agree to a before noon show (AMC theatres in NY are $6). Finally gifting my Super for Xmas ($33, my share), and I need a TJ’s grocery splurge ($40)

I seem to constantly (constantly!) need new groceries the past few weeks – I guess I’ve just been bad at managing inventory. I anticipate spending $60 on that.

My partner and I are trying to eat out less since he just got cut from 30 hours (which was a cut from 40!) to 21 hours per week. But I suspect if our friends who have been away for half a month ask us out to brunch, we’ll go ($25).

Beyond that, I’m just going to insist that we do things that don’t cost extra money. Welcome to the winter of austerity! Though $85 for the weekend isn’t exactly austere. Maybe groceries will cost less, or maybe we can convince them to come over so we can make brunch for them, though I’m not as thrilled about that as usual since I just watched their dog for free for almost three weeks. I am thinking of hosting a board game night this weekend to keep me from doing anything that costs money, and to use up some of the drinks left over from New Year’s.

@ThatJenn It would be tacky to ask them, but is it possible they might ask you to brunch and pay, as a thank you for watching the dog? We’ll watch our friend’s cat occasionally and usually get thanked by getting taken out to dinner.

@polka dots vs stripes Before they had the kid, this might have been something they’d do, but not these days. I actually don’t mind much – it’s sort of the culture of this friend group that you do what you can for each other, because you’re friends, and that’s all. If I needed something they’d be there in an instant if possible, and never expect any kind of payback. It’s different from what I’m used to in previous social circles, but it has its advantages. I haven’t needed anything in a long while, but they definitely helped me out a lot when I was getting divorced a few years ago.

@polka dots vs stripes It’s pretty awesome, and I’m holding on to it with both hands. I just hope it doesn’t evaporate once more of us have kids. I don’t think it will, though – the main hazard will be as people move away to places with better job markets.

Tonight my husband and I are going to the First Fridays event at the Natural History Museum with live music (tonight it’s Lord Huron.) $36 for two.
Tomorrow we both have work to do at home, then maybe we’ll go see Django Unchained or Zero Dark Thirty and grab a burger after. $40.
Sunday we celebrate the anniversary of when we got together. Morning at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market ($40 for groceries), long walk in the Hollywood Hills, dinner at the Little Door ($150).
All told, probably $270.

AND ALSO. Mike, are those your feet on either side of a mimosa? Seems like a pretty good time. And relevant to the people over on the Downton Abbey post who are thinking that they have to have people sitting on the floor with BYO utensils.

Last weekend before work starts up again. Friday coffee date with a friend 600 yen plus 900 train. Movie/Hobbit 2400 for two tix.
Saturday yoga at the public gym 400 yenX2, coffee date with different friend, 600+900.
Sunday haircut maybe or some other outing, maybe 2-3000 yen.
8-9000 yen.

Hanging out at home tonight & might go skating later = Free. Possibly will pick up some beer on the way home as we are all out.
No big plans tomorrow, but am thinking about picking up some cards and we might end up going to a movie/eat dinner/etc = $20-40ish
Grocery shopping on Sunday = $40, but no other plans at this point. Trying to keep it under $100 this weekend.